Hey Oprah, Keep Your Foreskin Off My Eyelids

It seems that St. Oprah is endorsing a face cream that is made from foreskins. No, this is not from The Onion:

Glen Callender and his foreskin have a bone to pick with Oprah Winfrey. The founder of the Canadian Foreskin Awareness Project has launched a protest against Winfrey, for her endorsement of SkinMedica anti-wrinkle cream…which contains HUMAN foreskins! Callender has called Winfrey a hypocrite, saying that her use of foreskin-cream habit contradicts her work speaking out against female genital mutilation.

What Winfrey describes as the “magic fountain of youth” is really a concoction containing foreskin fibroblast, skin from babies’ foreskins used to grow other skin or cells. Winfrey has endorsed SkinMedica endlessly, on her show and in print.

Parents everywhere would probably be shocked to find out that the foreskins they have removed at their child’s birth are not thrown away, but instead used for scientific purposes- or worse…sold to make face cream. Callender also brings up the point that infant boys do not have the choice whether they want to be circumcised or not, further complicating the ethical use of the foreskins.

Callender has been quoted saying “How would Oprah respond if a men’s skin cream hit the market that was produced with tissue extracted from the genitalia of little girls?” This thought may sounds extreme or shocking, but Callendar’s comparison is totally valid.

He and his supporters staged a protest a sold out appearance by Winfrey at Rogers Arena in Vancouver yesterday, urging the cultural icon to come to her senses.

Interesting. While I find this more than a little gross, I am definitely not an “intactivist.” (Yeah circumcision.) It doesn’t seem objectionable in principle that foreskins are used for skin cream.

However, it does seem highly objectionable is that doctors or hospitals would sell any body part or fluid of a patient without getting the patient’s or (in the case of a minor) their parents’ informed consent. This is not quite theft, but close to it, and really unethical.

I don’t wouldn’t blame SkinMedica, I’d blame the doctors. Total breach of trust.

Sarah Lynne

I don’t think it’s exactly the same. Female “circumscion” is often done later in life and can cause pain later on as well depending on the kind. The kind of male circumscion practice in the USA is obviously painful, but doesn’t also make sex painful and won’t be remembered by the male. They are comparable more in the way they are cultural/religious practices around genatalia than that they have they same effects. I also wonder if the motives are similar. Equating them seems dismissive of the element of female control that may be surrounding FGM in patriarchal cultures. I personally will not be circumscizing my son, so will luckily not have to worry about any cells derived from his foreskin ending up in my face cream.

A Different Simon

Tony, are you suggesting the circumcised men have mutilated genitals?

http://www.circumstitions.com Hugh7

Aristotle would have said so, since his definition of “mutilation” was that the part cut off doesn’t grow back. More to the, um, point, since infant circumcision is done without the consent of the only person directly involved, and affects him for the rest of his life, it is a human rights violation – even if he doesn’t “feel violated”. More and men do, and they have every right to do so.

http://TLCTugger.com Ron Low

It is utterly shameful that we allow genital mutilation in a modern society. That we would permit capitalists to exploit stolen human body parts is something that would cause people to march on Washington with torches and pitchforks, except that the victims are voiceless infants.

SkinMedica says their product today is based on one culture from a circumcision 20 years ago. Fine, produce the 20-year-old victim and let’s hear how he was compensated. The trade in foreskins continues (Google foreskin fibroblasts and buy some yourself).

Foreskin feels REALLY good. Seriously, it’s the best part.

http://www.lara-thinkingoutloud.blogspot.com Lara

I realize I’m a little weird but one of my main critiques to this is why does he think it’s better to throw something away then to make good use of it?

And no female genital mutilation for the purpose of making sure women cannot reach orgasm is not the same as male circumcision. We can talk about male circumcision being wrong, but don’t compare the two as equal. Just don’t.

http://www.lara-thinkingoutloud.blogspot.com Lara

I missed some important punctuation: “And, NO, female genital mutilation…” Is there a little more clear?

http://coachsusan@quixnet.net susan frederick

Totally correct. There is no legitimate comparison. Female genital mutilation is illegal in the USA and used in other countries, as you say, to prevent female orgasm.

http://www.circumstitions.com Hugh7

There’s a much better use to be made of it – by its owner, where it was, on him.

Krystal

I agree with Sarah Lynne and Lara about their comments on female genital mutilation. I don’t like that Callender and others have compared FGM to male circumcision.

http://www.circumstitions.com Hugh7

They didn’t. They rspoke of “tissue extracted from the genitalia of little girls?” Would it be any less of a human rights outrage if it were done in a hospital by a doctor with a scalpel, rather than in a jungle by a shaman with a broken bottle?

(Scores of boys die of tribal circumcision in one province of South Africa alone every year, and many more lose their whole penises. That also “prevents orgasm”. When “female circumcision was done in hospitals in the USA until 1996, they used a gadget with a shield to protect the clitoris. When you compare tribal with tribal, surgical with surgical, they’re not so different.)

http://www.religioussupply.com Mary St. Cloud

Until Oprah can speak for herself, we don’t know the truth and this is heresay. I say, let the maker decide! Our jobs are to live our lives and do our very best. And to follow the golden rule. But my point being, we don’t control others so we just do our best.

Ryan

I find is obscene that it is used as a beauty product. However there are medical uses for similar creams that treat ulcers on the skin. It can save a life or a limb when other medical treatments are failing.

Pro-foreskin

THERE IS HOPE RIGHT NOW for all men who were circumcised at birth: a nonprofit entity, FOREGEN, is doing research to regenerate human foreskin using the own patient’s cells. I think we should donate money to help them to achieve this goal. The site is THIS: http://www.foregen.org

http://WwW.antiwrinklecreamdiary.com nice1234

Oprah likes to rub human foreskin all over her face—because it’s an ingredient of her favorite anti-aging skin cream SkinMedica, which she calls a “magic fountain of youth and miracle wrinkle solution.” Read more

http://Ww.DELfogo.com jay1234

I’ve had a lot of questions passed my way recently as to the controversial cosmetic products that Oprah has used/advertised which are derived from the foreskins of circumcised baby boys. Read more

http://www.eyEsErUm.net eve1234

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